Life's Signature
by Lonelyyy.Stoner
Summary: Kagome, a young woman living her life, building her restaurant with her best friend and keeping her life in order until someone decides to leave a baby in her possession, not knowing what, or WHO lurks unfamiliar corners.
1. Chapter 1

The wind whistled and whipped around the cool October morning air. Leafs crackling, being carried and dropped gently. The light sound of footsteps at a moderate pace and heavy breaths filled the quiet town of Vita Simplex. The town is aged back to the early 1700's. A fairly small town, you can walk from one end to the other within 2 hours. Something a young girl named Kagome Higurashi was quite accustomed to doing, oh look, here she comes now.

Rounding the corner jogged a young 25 year old raven haired beauty with sun kissed skin. Her hair, held in a high ponytail, tickled her shoulders as her arms and legs moved to a steady beat as she nodded to the music blasting off of her iPod. Her attire consisted of a black and pink sport bra with matching sweatpants with some silver and pink running sneakers. Huffing she ran up her stoop and jogged in place while opening the door to her three family house and continued to jog up some stairs and opened the door to her apartment and finally took a breather and walked in.

Walking straight to her fridge she pressed the button on her glowing answering machine and grabbed a bottle of water and proceeded to down the while bottle.

"You have 3 new messages" and Kagome groaned as she waited patiently.

**Message one, Beep!** "Hi, Miss Higurashi, this is Ayame Rodaru, I'm with the Takahashi Firm. I'd like to make a reservation for Saturday in celebration of a closing case. It's actually a joint celebration with the firm and Takahashi Medical Institute. Well we'd like for it to be at 7 o'clock and you can call me with all of the necessary information at 339-721-8852. Thank you."

**Message two, Beep!** "Hey Kaggy, I know you're out jogging it's almost 7 so I'm assuming you'll be back soon. I have so much to tell you about that date I went on with Miroku! I guess I have you to thank but anyway, I guess I'll see you at work. Catch ya later!"

**Message three, Beep! **"Kags honey? Souta's coming out to visit and I know you've itching to see him. He's staying the whole week so whenever you're not busy just come on by. Talk to you later my dear. Be safe and please do not overwork yourself. I love you." No more messages.

Kagome checked her fridge for anything that would interest her but her fridge disappointed her. Defeated, she went and took a shower and got dressed in a high waist black pencil skirt that reached mid thigh and a magenta shirt with ruffles at the chest and the jacket to the skirt laid over it. She brushed her hair and pinned it in a tight bun and she adorned her ears with silver dangling earrings and slipped on patent leather magenta pumps. She put on a light coat of pink lip gloss, pink eye shadow, black liquid eyeliner and mascara. Grabbing a large silver bag she dumped some makeup, her phone and other necessities into her purse. Snatching her keys off of the island in her kitchen she rushed out of the house and locked the door, and downstairs where she greeted a couple of neighbors and hurriedly hopped into her Deep Sea Blue BMW 3 Series Convertible, drove through her town and into the city to her restaurant 'Simplicité'. Once she got there she was bombarded by workers asking questions and had her running all over the place.

"Hey Kags" Sango said as her best friend walked into their office.

"Hi Sango, geez no wonder everyone was attacking me, you're in here" Kagome said as she closed the door and sat at her mahogany desk in her big red chair.

"Duh, you think I'd actually stay out there and worry about the less important things?"

Kagome's eyebrow rose "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean like the employees asking odd questions that don't need to be answered. I'd rather tackle the finances and reservations and inventory and all of that" Sango said as she used her hands excessively.

Kagome just nodded and there was silence, it wasn't awkward or anything since Sango had gone back to her work and Kagome was setting up the employees schedule on the computer.

"Oh, what happened with Miroku?" Kagome said, realizing that they had both been too absorbed in their work to remember.

Sango's face turned pink as she hopped of her computer and came to sit on Kagome's desk. "He was so romantic! Who would've thought? Well I got ready and I went to his house and once I got there I rang the doorbell and he opened the door in like 2 seconds. The blast of aromas that hit my face, Kagome, had my mouth watering. Anyway, we hugged and I went inside, his apartment is huge and had a very 'bachelor pad' like scene, but he had rose petals sprawled on the couch and the floor. The table was set for two with a single purple rose. Did I mention that he cooked? Can you believe that? And he made so much food, lasagna, chicken, salad, rice, sushi and more. Goodness and it was all so delicious. He even baked pumpkin pie and we had it with some vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. It was magical."

"Ohh really, the food or the sex?" and Sango's face deepened to a crimson and she stammered as she explained herself "W-we didn't, um, h-have sex."

"Oh gosh you are so right" and Sango visibly relaxed "because that hickey on your neck is absolutely non-visible" and Sango's skin darkened back to crimson as she nibbled her bottom lip and Kagome laughed at her.

"Ugh Kags you are the worst!" she said with an angry pout. "Don't be mad at me, be mad at him" Kagome said with a giggled and continued to tease her friend.

Kagome sighed in exhaustion as she trudged up her stoop and unlocked the door. Feeling like she couldn't go any longer, she took a 2 minute break on the stairs after she'd let her self through the first door. After she gained a little bit of energy she trooped up the stairs and slowed down curiously as she spotted a tattered brown box in front of her door. _Hm, I didn't order anything. Did I?_ She bent low to the box but there was no sender, nor was there an address. _So the person had to have brought this package here themselves. Ohh what's this? Ray-o-me? Ohh rye-oh-me. Who's that? No one around here goes by that name. Wow someone wrote 'Fragile, handle with care' all over this box._ Kagome opened her door and picked up the rather heavy, tattered box, careful not to let the filthy thing touch her clothes and carried it into her living room and set it gently on the floor. After closing and locking her door she went back to the box and carefully unfolded the flaps, noticing that it hadn't been taped shut, and gaped at the sight.

_Is this some kind of cruel joke that a child is playing on their parent? Who would do something like this? Who in their right mind…I need to call the police. Ohh, wait, what's that? There's a letter addressed to me, written in pencil on a piece of napkin? This is getting way too weird._

**Dear Kagome,**

**I know that you're probably upset and confused. I've known you for years on end, but you probably don't remember me. I've been watching you, since I first discovered my pregnancy and I'm not capable of mothering a child, but you, you are. I know you probably don't want a baby right now but I'm begging you to please do me this one wish, please raise my daughter as your own. She doesn't know her mother, since she is but only 2 weeks old. She's as healthy as ever and is as sweet as can be. I know that you're probably wondering who her father is but he has run off with his wife and 2 children. I don't have any family except for you and I'm at wit's end. I don't have money, a house, a car or any clothes, for that matter. After Husaki found out about my pregnancy he took away everything he had ever given me, leaving me stripped without a job and no place to live. If you could find it in your young heart to take care of my sweet baby girl I would be forever grateful. I'm handing over full custody and her birth certificate is attached to the back of this letter. I owe you my life Kagome.**

**Thank you,**

**M.**

"You have got to be kidding me!" Kagome yelled in frustration as she reread the letter for the fourth time. Unfortunately her outburst caused the baby to start wailing and Kagome's body froze. She watched how the pale skinned baby's tiny fat fists clenched and how her chubby legs kicked the air. Her round face turned pink as tears rolled down the sides of her face and her eyes were scrunched shut. Noticing the baby's face deepen in color Kagome threw the letter down and reached deep into the box to retrieve the fragile child that was bundled in a blanket and was rested on filthy pillows. Rocking her and humming a soothing melody Kagome ignored the nauseating stench that clouded the child and watched as she lowered her cries to whimpers and eventually to sniffles. Kagome observed the baby, the blond triangular puppy ears that rested within a sea of brown curly locks that covered her head. Her eyes were now wide open and looking at her surroundings, they were a champagne color that Kagome found herself swimming in until the poor baby had closed her eyes and had fallen into a deep sleep. Kagome sighed and rocked her a little longer to make sure that she was indeed fast asleep and placed her on the couch instead of the bacteria infected box.

She picked up the letter and flipped to the next page where the birth certificate was and noticed immediately that "M" had written Kagome as the baby's mother and there was an empty spot where the father's name was supposed to be written.

"Ryomi Minoru Higurashi"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'd like to thank kaitlynpope77, Midnightsun1fan , loneshinobi, Ayame0217 , kittychic0895 and an anonymous reader for reviewing my story. It's much appreciated.

Watching her daughter pace in her apartment, Mrs. Higurashi was at a loss for words. This was a very unique case indeed. "Aha! I've got it, I'm going to try and find her mother and father, one of them at least. So I can return her safely. I can't possibly take care of an infant at my age"

"We can go to the police, social security office, and the hospital that she was born in" Ninu said to her dear daughter. Poor thing is all stressed out.

Kagome had phoned her mother right after she'd read the birth certificate and her mother hurried over to her apartment to help her.

"So what do I do with her for now? She can't stay in that filthy box or that dirty blanket."

"Honestly Kagome it doesn't seem like you have much of a choice at this point and time, you have to take care of her until you find her parents." Kagome gaped at her mother like she'd just spoken 5 different languages at the same time.

"But mom, I've got work and you know I work crazy long hours. Who's going to watch her?"

"I'll watch her"

"How do you expect to do that mama? You've got to work at the shrine"

"While you and Souta were still young, what do you think I did? I'd just set up a play pen by the register and I'd put you in a stroller while I toured the shrine to tourists"

"Are you sure mama?"

"Of course honey and Gramps is there to lend a helping hand"

"So I guess I've got to go shopping for baby stuff later, huh?"

Ninu nodded "I'll come with you when you go to pick up some things."

"Alright, so just sleep here tonight and I'll set out tomorrow first thing. After my jog of course"

"Well let's give her a bath and wrap her in a fresh blanket" and Kagome went to pick up the sleeping girl. She went into the bathroom and her mother helped her unravel the wretched blanket off of her and turned on the faucet. After evenly blending hot and cold she sat Ryomi in the sink and almost instantly she began to wail. Kagome watched in disgust as a ring of dirt surrounded the baby in the water.

"Newborns hate bathing" Ninu informed her as she aided her with the wiggling baby. Kagome sighed and grabbed some liquid soap while her mother held Ryomi in place. She lathered and rubbed Ryomi down until the sink water was brown. They let the dirty water down and refilled the sink with clean water. They lathered her again and washed her hair gently, making sure they don't harm her ears. To their astonishment her hair wasn't brown, it's strawberry blonde and they were disgusted even more.

"She's only 2 weeks old, where did her mother have her for her to become so incredibly dirty?"

"I don't know but I don't believe for a second that she's healthy. After purchasing some necessary things we're taking her to a doctor." The 48 year old woman said sternly and Kagome nodded. "Definitely"

They took her out of the sink, dried her and rubbed her down with some lotion. She gurgled and smiled with bright shining eyes, set on Kagome. "She's taken a liking to you Kaggy" Ninu said with a bright smile.

"Yeah I guess she has" and they sprinkled some powder on her chest, arm pits, butt and unmentionables and wrapped her in a clean blanket.

"Mama, you don't think she might be hungry?"

"I didn't think about that. What should we do?" and they pondered for a moment.

"Well the pharmacy down the block is open 24/7 so I'll run over and pick up a bottle and formula"

"Okay" Kagome quickly threw on a pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top with a pair of black sneakers. She grabbed her wallet and her cell phone and ran over to the pharmacy. She went into the baby aisle, they didn't have much just some basic stuff, and she grabbed a Breastflow Bottle package. It was BPA free so Kagome thought it was safe enough plus she assumed that Ryomi's mother had been breast feeding her so it'll feel the same to her when she's drinking from the bottle. She grabbed a pack of Pampers Swaddlers and Pampers Sensitive baby wipes and Enfamil Premium Powder Formula walked to the cash register. "That'll be $100.10 ma'am" Kagome shook her head and swiped her credit card. She grabbed all her bags and walked home. By the time she made it upstairs she smiled at the sight of her mother lying on the couch asleep with Ryomi on her chest, just as knocked out as she was.

Kagome started taking things out of their bags and placing them in her bedroom, where it won't get in the way and got started on Ryomi's bottle. Once that was done she gently took her from her mother's arms and Ninu woke up abruptly and whipped her head around looking for the newborn. "Mom it's okay. Go change and head off to bed. I can handle this" Ninu, still half asleep, just nodded and did what she was told.

Kagome laid the resting baby on her bed and proceeded to put a diaper on her and re-wrap her in the blanket. She then snatched the bottle from the hot water it was sitting in and tested the temperature, when she was satisfied that it was the right temperature she cradled the baby in her arm and gently placed the nipple to the bottle on Rye's mouth and her tiny lips opened at once and latched onto the nipple. To keep her asleep Kagome bobbed and rocked her arms in a soothing rhythm until she was a quarter finished and stopped suckling as she fell into an even deeper sleep, now fully comfortable. Kagome moved her up so that her head was on Kagome's shoulder and she proceeded to burp her.

Once that was done she opened the fridge and put the bottle on one of shelves and walked into her room. She used one arm and spread a blanket on the bed and laid Rye in the middle of it on her back and surrounded her with pillows. She undressed and stood there in a pair of baby blue shorts and her white tank and stared at Rye. _She's so precious and innocent. Why would her father and mother abandon such a beauty?_ She shook her head and climbed onto the bed, outside of the pillow fort she made and pulled the sheets over her body. She clapped twice and the lights went out and she rested her head on an extra pillow and fell into a light sleep.

"Wahhhh!" Kagome jolted and her eyes failed her for a second and she clapped twice and the lights came on. Her mother was already lifting the wailing baby off of the bed "Go back to sleep Kaggy. I've got it". Kagome merely nodded and dropped back to sleep, forgetting to turn the lights off.

"Okay so now we've got everything?" Kagome asked her mother as she carried more baby stuff into her mother's minivan. Ninu checked some things off on the checklist and shook her head. "No we still need the car seat, diaper bag, etc"

"Ugh alright" Kagome went into the store and spoke to the clerks and asked for the safest car seat and fell upon a brown, blue and tan designed infant car seat and bought it. It was a stroller and a car seat in one and she grabbed a black and grey front to back carrier.

She bought a brown and green diaper bag, a handheld color video monitor, an American Red Cross First Aid Kit, A+D ointment, Johnson Johnson shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body wash, pacifier wipes, freeflow pacifier, a pacifier holder, wipe warmer, diaper stacker, a purple baby towel, washcloths, a Puj tub (a soft and flexible baby tub that you can use in any standard bathroom sink to quickly and safely bathe your baby), a pink and brown cradle swing, a Baby Looney Tunes bouncer, a lavender baby positioner, a Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym, she grabbed teethers and rattles, a cuddle suit for the winter, a swaddler, bibs and burp cloths, booties, mittens and hats, gowns and one-pieces, a white portable cradle, a pink tadpoles 3-piece cable knit cradle set and a brown and pink Graco Pack 'n Play with Newborn Napper.

She didn't even want to look at the receipt when she was done swiping. Of course the workers in the store helped carry everything to the minivan. She hopped in the front and looked over at her mother who was playing with the baby. "So we can bring these things home and go to the doctor's right?"

"Right, then we can take care of all this stuff" Kagome nodded and drove home to see Sango waiting on her.

"Thanks for coming Sango dear" Ninu said as she gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"No problem at all" and she turned to Kagome and gave her a nod and watched in amazement when Kagome opened the doors revealing all of the baby products Kagome had purchased.

Lying on the couch, exhausted, Kagome and Sango had finally finished moving things up and down the stairs. Ninu was preparing some lunch for them and a bottle for Rye. "I know you guys are tired but can you please start putting some things together? Like the car seat, the carrier, a baby bag, and throw some clothes on her please." Kagome groaned and the two set off to put the stroller and car seat together. Once the car seat was done they installed it into Ninu's van and set off to prepare more things. They borrowed a neighbor's tool box and got started on the crib.

"So, what are you going to do Kagome?"

"Well for now, of course, I'll watch her but I'm setting off to find her parents and maybe some relatives"

"Didn't you say that the letter said that you were her only relative? Maybe you should contact your real parents, after you find out who "M" is, and ask them some questions."

"Sango, I didn't even think of that! I've never met my real parents face to face. It'll be so awkward"

"But you've got to do it, if you really want to find her parents" and Kagome nodded. "This is so crazy. Did we get any calls for the store?" Sango asked.

"Ohh yeah! Thanks Sango, I was so distracted I completely forgot about the reservation for the Takahashi corporations. I've got to call that girl back" she walked out and replayed the message and wrote down all the necessary details and proceeded to call Ayame.

"Takahashi Corporations, this is Ayame Rodaru, how may I help you?"

"Good afternoon , this is Kagome Higurashi, the owner of Simplicité, I'm calling in regards to your phone call."

"Ohh yes. Well we'd like to make a reservation for Saturday at 7 o'clock" Kagome nodded, already knowing this. "Do you know how many people? Like an estimate?"

"I'd say around 110 or 130. Hopefully there's no more than that" Kagome jotted this down. "Okay, what hors d'oeuvre would you like to be served? Wines? Open bar? Meals?"

"Oh, Shrimp Newburg Mini Quiches, Caramelized Onion Flatbread, Spring rolls and Brie/Pear/Almond Fillo Flowers for the hors d'oeuvre. Fiano, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and White Zinfandel, for the wines. The bar can be open but drinks must be paid for. For meals we'd like to have people choose what they'd like for themselves, so, Garden-Fresh Salad, Steak Toscano, Ravioli di Portobello, Stuffed Chicken Marsala and Herb-Grilled Salmon." Kagome just jotted all of this down.

"Well the room that'll fit your size party is past the main dining room. There'll be signs and servers there to help those who are lost"

"Thank you so much. I'll see you on Saturday" and she hung up.

Kagome sighed and walked back into her bedroom where Sango was now fixing the bedding on the completed cradle. She rushed over and helped her put the finishing touches and they high 5'd. They walked into the living room to see Ninu burping Rye and spotted two full plates of food and they ran over and ate like starved children.

When that was all done they bathed, changed and dressed Rye in a light green onesie and they grabbed her baby bag and fastened her into the car seat and headed off to the pediatrics. Just as they were about to walk in Kagome groaned loudly "What's your problem?" Sango asked in surprise. "They're going to ask for insurance information and birth records and all of that. What am I supposed to say?"

"Ugh, you cannot be serious. Basically her mother left you with enough information to be adopted because there is no way any doctor's going to look at her with-wait! Miroku, he's a doctor. I'm pretty sure he can do us this huge favor. I'll call and ask" Sango said and started calling him while Kagome and her mother continued to talk about the issue at hand.

"Okay, he said we can come in. I couldn't tell him the reason why and stuff because anyone can be listening in so we can just explain everything when we get there" and the women just nodded and walked back to the van, strapped up and headed to the Takahashi Hospital.

They walked in and saw that the waiting room was completely crowded, so they walked up to the front desk. The receptionist was typing vigorously on the computer and acknowledged them the minute they reached her. "Hello, welcome to Takahashi Hospital. How may I help you this afternoon?" a brunette with purple streaks that was pulled into a tight bun and wore white and lavender scrubs said.

"We're here for Miroku Houshi. He knows we're here" Sango said while rocking Ryomi who started fussing a little bit.

"I'll buzz for him and tell him that you're here. In the meanwhile please by seated, he'll be right with you" they thanked her and went to find a seat. The only problem was because of the fact that so many people where there they had to split up and Sango ended up in the corner by the TV while Ninu and Kagome where on opposite sides up closer to the front. It didn't matter because after 5 minutes Miroku came to the front and called Sango to come up. Of course people started to fuss since the women had just arrived and people have been waiting all day to be seen.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry about the inconvenience but this is my wife and child. I'm just rushing to see them since my wife is very weak from giving birth just last week and my daughter appears to be unhealthy. Please bear with me." Miroku said with pleading eyes onto the crowd and they relaxed immediately. Kagome and Ninu joined Miroku and Sango as they walked down the halls.

"Miroku, this is my best friend and fellow business partner Kagome Higurashi. Kagome this is Miroku, the one I was telling you about. This is Kagome's mom Ninu and Ninu this is my boyfriend, Miroku" as they all greeted each other they shared some smiles and quick words and walked into an empty room.

"Okay let's get down to business. What's going?" Miroku asked and spent his next 5 minutes listening to the story behind Ryomi.

"Well you guys were smart for bringing her in. I'll check her out and we'll wait for her results. As for searching for her parents, my best friend's brother is the owner of the Takahashi Law Firm, I'll call him in and ask him to speak to his brother about helping you track down her parents. Is that alright with you?" and Kagome nodded "Any help form of help is fine with me"

"Hey, I need you in room 12. It's urgent" Miroku said sternly into a walkie talkie and "Copy" was heard in return. Miroku started taking Ryomi's temperature, blood pressure, and weight and scribbled things down. He checked the sound of her heartbeat and her breathing and continued to jot down notes. He checked her eyes, ears and mouth. "Do you have any idea if she has been given any necessary shots?" and they all shook their heads 'No' so he left and got syringes and medications and proceeded to use this spray, called a freeze spray, it's really cold water and they spray it onto you're skin so it gets numb and you can't feel the shots. After that he did a blood test and called in a nurse to run all of the tests.

"Miroku, what smells so breathtak-" and at that moment Kagome whirled around to face the door and her breath was caught in her throat. Before stood a gorgeous, muscular man that had to have been around 6'2 with long silver hair that reached the middle of his back and had two triangular white shaped dog ears that sat atop his head. His piercing amber eyes stunned Kagome and she almost forgot to start breathing. _Who is __**he**__?_ Mouth agape this sexy stranger was just as in awe of her as she was of him.

"What were you saying InuYasha?" Miroku asked as he turned to face his best friend and was shocked to see him in a daze. "Oh where are my manners? InuYasha this is Ninu and Kagome, you've already met Sango. Kagome and Ninu this is InuYasha"

InuYasha shook out of his stupor and raised a hand to shake Kagome's and she reached for it. "Umm, nice to meet you" she said with a shy smile and he returned it with a sly smile.

"And who is this beauty?" he asked as he smiled at Ryomi.

"This is little Ryomi." _Is that her daughter?_

"This is what I was telling you about" Miroku said to him and told him Ryomi's story as he listened intently. "So now do you understand why we need Sesshomaru's help?" and he nodded.

"Alright. I'll call him now and we'll get on this. The sooner we get this over with the better"

"Thank you so much " Ninu said with a graceful smile. "It's no problem at all and please call me InuYasha ma'am" he said with a grin and her smile broadened.

"Alright, well the results are in and she's healthy. She's got a number of rashes on her but you can just pick up ointments for that. I'm pretty sure they're pertaining to the living environment that she was placed in. Hence another reason why her mother had left her with you Kagome."

The more Kagome thought about it, she could really make a difference in this baby's life. Hell she already is making a difference.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry to all my loyal readers, I know that it's been entirely too long and I apologize greatly for that. I wasn't interested in writing anymore and I had a serious case of writer's block but now I'm back. Hopefully I don't get lost again and I can finally finish a story for you guys. I hope you enjoy!**

"So what are our options?" Inuyasha asked his brother and Sesshomaru took a minute to take in what his brother had just told him. "Pacing won't help brother" and Inuyasha shot him a look but sat down on one of the mahogany chairs that faced his brother's deep red desk. Sesshomaru rose from his black leather desk chair and turned around to face the glass window behind his desk and peered down from his 12th floor view.

"You can try and find out what hospital the pup was born in and try and get information on her mother, whilst I try and find out who her father is"

Inuyasha nodded "Yeah that makes sense"

"Why are you so intent on helping this woman brother?"

"Keh, what's it to you? You're still gonna help me aren't you?" Inuyasha said in his usual gruff manner and crossed his arms.

Sesshomaru merely shook his head "That girl won't stick around when you've got an attitude like that"

"She's not a girl and what do you know? How long were you courting Rin before you finally mated? Ohh I remember now, 7 years!" Inuyasha exclaimed flashing back to his brother and sister-in-law's wedding last year.

"Time is of essence dear brother, you cannot rush into things with merely your heart. Why do you think my empire is as strong as it is? Because I do not let my emotions cloud my judgment and-"

"Yeah blah blah ain't nobody got time for your jibber jabber. I've got things to do, let me know if you get anything" Inuyasha said as he walked out of his brother's office and Sesshomaru shook his head.

"_You better hope this woman is worth it fool"_

"Watch out!" and there was a loud crash and Kagome rushed to the kitchen "Oh wow"

There were broken plates and food scattered on the floor and her bussers were scrambling to clean it up. She grabbed a broom but was stopped by her lead busser, Adam, "Don't worry about it boss we've got this. You need to get home and get ready for that huge Takahashi party that's coming in later. I'll make sure everything gets cleaned up"

"Arigato Adam, I'm really cutting it close. I'll be back soon" and he nodded at her as he motioned for her to leave. "Alright Andrea, Walter and Munaki, we've got to get this cleaned up stat! Let's go people!"

Kagome hurried to her office and found that Sango had already left, _"Damnit, it's already 5:36 and I still have to stop by moms. Way to go Kagome"_

She grabbed her things and locked her office door then briskly walked out to the parking lot and hopped into her car. Pulling up to the shrine she parked and ran up the many stairs and used her key to open the door. "Mama, Mama are you here?!" she cried out as she wiggled her key out of the keyhole.

"I'm upstairs dear!" she heard from the bottom of the stairs and ran up the stairs skipping a stair with each step. "How was your day? How's the baby?" Kagome said as she walked into her old bedroom. Her mother had already started turning it into a nursery, her queen sized bed was still in the room but there was a bassinet next to it and a rocking chair in the far corner. Her mother was lifting Ryomi from the bassinet when she looked up and smiled at her daughter in the doorway.

"She's doing well. She's drinking well and pooping often, the obvious signs of a healthy baby, she's happy" Kagome smiled and reached out for the infant and her mother handed her over. The baby girl's eyes widened at the sight of her and she grinned, baring her pink gums and started kicked her feet and flailing her arms. "Someone's excited to see you, eh?"

"Did you have a nice day baby? Are you driving grandma crazy?" Kagome cooed and kissed her on the nose and Ryomi gurgled and blew a spit bubble.

"Oh dear, grandma? I'm too sexy to be called grandma! How many grandmas do you know that have this body, okay?" and Kagome started laughing "My apologies granny!" and a booming laugh came from the doorway and startled them. Kagome gasped "Souta! Oh Souta!" and she ran into her younger brothers arms. "Oh my, you're taller than me" she exclaimed and hugged him tighter, careful not to crush the infant.

"I know, right?! You can't call me shorty or squirt anymore" his deep voice bellowed in a playful manner. "Good God, let me get a good look at you. You've only been away for a semester and I feel like you're a completely different person" Souta now stood at 6'1" with broad shoulders and a muscular build, his brown hair remained in its short cut and his boyish facial features remained the same aside from his chiseled jaw line.

"Don't say that sis, I'm still the same" he said with a half-smile that could melt hearts. "It's official, my son's a ladies man" Ninu said with a smile and Kagome nodded.

"So how's school and everything? Passing your classes? Not partying too hard I hope. How are the girls?" Kagome said raising her eyebrows and giving him a knowing look.

"Everything is fine with school, sis. I'm on the high honor roll, 95's and up, and they're great" he said looking around nervously with a small blush.

"Good to hear kiddo!" Kagome exclaimed as she played with the baby "So mom told me about Rye, what are you going to do now?"

"Well we've got some friends that are trying to lend a hand and I'm going to try and ask my biological parents about my family, she said she was related to me so I need to figure out how and who she is" with a worried look Ninu looked away from her children, shielding her face so they wouldn't see how upset she was.

"That's going to be pretty awkward, don't you think? They never wanted to visit you or anything" Souta said with a concerned look and started following Kagome downstairs and into the kitchen. "Well yeah but what else am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait? Plus that wasn't the adoption plan that they chose, they didn't want anything besides pictures."

"True but even when you find out who she is she said that she wants you to raise her as your own. She's not going to take that baby back especially with your name on the birth certificate and she already sees you as the mother of her child." Souta said as he leaned against the doorway and watched his sister prepare the baby's bottle with one free arm.

"And from what mom said, her father left her mother and her to fend for themselves. So the mother's out and the father's out, after you find out their information what are you going to do with it?" He asked as he grabbed an apple from the kitchen table and took a bite.

Kagome sighed and shook her head "Souta, I really don't know"

"Do you think you can take care of her and raise her?" and she nodded "Then what's the problem? You're not getting any younger and you don't have a love life and mom's getting older"

"Hey! I so DO have a love life!" She said as she tested the temperature of the milk and began feeding the pup.

"Is that right? So tell me dear sister, when was the last time you went on a date?" and Kagome froze "Uhh, um…"

"I rest my case" and Kagome huffed "Whatever Souta! I'm a hard working woman who's trying to further build her growing restaurant. I don't have time to date and I don't have time to raise a baby. She's going to be here with mom 80% of the time and that's not fair to her. She already raised her children"

"So find a boyfriend and you guys can take care of her together"

"You're way smarter than that Souta, What am I going to say? 'Oh hi my name is Kagome, I know this our first date and all but would you like to be the father of my child?' How creepy is that? I'm not desperate and I told you I'm busy with work so then I have to juggle a baby and a relationship on top of it? Way too much work and I'm not properly prepared for this. It's not like I had 9 months to get ready for a baby, I came home from work and she was waiting for me. Speaking of work I need to go home and get ready for tonight"

"Oh yeah you've got that big party tonight" and suddenly the back door slid open and Grandpa came in.

"Jii-chan, how nice of you to join us"

"Kagome, that little demon of yours kept me up all night! Why your mother let such a foul creature enter this shrine is beyond me"

"Jii-chan she's just a baby, stop whining, crazy old man" Souta said as he throw away the remains of his apple and Kagome giggled.

"Well I've got to go. I'll be back later to pick her up. She just finished all her milk so she just needs to be burped and check her diaper please, she just woke up" Kagome said as she handed Rye off to her brother.

"Will do, see you later sis!" He called out as she walked toward the front door "I'll be back later mama!" She shouted up the stairs "Be safe my dear" was all she heard as she closed and locked the door behind her.

_Ugh, this is hideous, why did I ever buy this? Oh wait no that was a present. How about this little number? Yep that just might work. _Kagome showered and washed her hair as fast as she could and had now found the perfect outfit for the night's festivities. She blew her hair dry and set it high on her head in a tight bun and started applying light makeup, some black eyeliner that curved up at the ends giving her cat eyes, some mascara, a little blush and cherry red lipstick.

She removed her robe and slid into a simple yet modest, formfitting black dress that reached mid-thigh with a small slit in the back. It had a simple curved neckline but didn't show any cleavage and she donned it with a simple pearl necklace and her 4 inch black patent leather Christian Louboutin's. She put her ID, money, cards and makeup in a red, rectangular clutch and grabbed the keys to her car and left her apartment.

_Damnit, it's already 7:45, hopefully Sango has them occupied. _Kagome pondered then switched on her radio and switched it to Pandora. Gone by The Weeknd played as she zoomed off to her restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

"How's everything going back here?" Kagome asked as she walked through the kitchen, taking a peek in every pot. "Pretty good so far, boss. What are you doing back here? Go enjoy the party. Let us handle this. Mingle!" her head chef Suki exclaimed with a bright smile. Kagome lightly blushed "I just wanted to check up on you guys. "When have we ever stirred you wrong, boss? I'll hold down the fort" and Kagome giggled as her other chef, Jakita lightly pushed her towards the double doors "Fine fine, I'll leave, but please come find me if anything happens"

Kagome spotted Sango across the room getting a drink from the bar "So how's everything going out here?" she said as she snuck up beside her "Oh Kagome, when did you get here?"

"Just now, I stopped by the kitchen and they've got it all under control so I came out here" Sango nodded as the bartender handed over her Miami Vice with a pineapple accenting the glass. Her silky brunette tresses were blown straight and flowed behind her as she turned around to face her friend. Her dramatic smoky eyes drew attention to her deep brown eyes and her Barbie pink lips latched onto her straw as she tested out her drink.

"This is really good Kags you should get one" and she turned around to address the bartender "Can I get another one for Kags please?" "One Miami Vice, coming right up!" Hitoma responded and got busy preparing another drink for his bosses.

Sango smiled and turned to face her friend again "You look great Sango!" Kagome exclaimed with a bright smile. Sango was wearing a white dress, similar to Kagome's, with pink patent leather Christian Louboutin's stilettos and a spiked pink heart chain purse. "Thanks love, so do you!"

"Order up!" Hitoma said as he placed Kagome's drink down on the bar and left to cater to another customer.

"My, my, my, you ladies look ravishing this evening" a familiar voice said behind Kagome as she reached over to retrieve her drink. "Not too bad yourself Houshi" Sango blushed as Miroku gently kissed her hand. "Thanks Miroku" Kagome replied as she turned around to face him and saw that he wasn't alone "Good Evening Inuyasha" "Keh, hey" was his response as he crossed his arms and looked in the other direction and Kagome furrowed her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. _What's his problem?_

"Attention, attention please" A young woman with deep burgundy waves that reached the small of her back and bright emerald eyes that sparkled as she spoke into the mic. "Good evening everyone. On behalf of the Takahashi Firm I, Ayame Rodaru, would like to welcome you all to this evening's festivities." Her teal gown had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her plump C cups and hugged her slim figure and gracefully pooled onto the floor, lightly dragging on the floor.

"She's cute" Sango whispered into Kagome's ear and she nodded in agreement and took a sip of her drink.

"As you all know we have just closed one of our biggest cases and merged with the Wolff law firm. SO without further ado, Takahashi Firms very own owner, Sesshomaru Takahashi and Wolff Firms owner, Kouga Wolff!" she announced and started clapping and the crowd applauded, whistled, howled, you name it. She gracefully walked off stage with the help of a gentleman nearby.

A man in a black tux with knee length silver hair swiftly glided onto the stage. He had blue stripes on the side of his face and a deep purple crescent moon adorned his forehead. _I'm guessing this is Inuyasha's brother. They look alike and have the same amber colored eyes. Is their whole family filled with handsome men? I wonder why he doesn't have those adorable dog ears._ Kagome thought as she eyed the 6'7" Taiyoukai with curious eyes.

On the other side of the stage a very good looking wolf demon quickly made his way to meet with the dog demon. His tan skin and azure eyes drew attention and his long brown hair was held up in a high ponytail, revealing his pointed demon ears. They met at the middle of the stage, shook hands and Sesshomaru stepped back and let Kouga take the mic. Kagome shivered a little looking into the cold eyes of the Taiyoukai. _Why does he seem so cold? Is he not excited about merging?_

"Thank you, thank you. It is my great honor to merge with the Takahashi Firms. With our company's merging together we can make great progress and soon become the number one firm in the country! Now I don't know about you Sesshomaru but that's something to celebrate!" Sesshomaru simply nodded and Kouga continued, unfazed by the lack of energy that his new partner displayed "Remember it's open bar, make sure you drink and there is plenty of scrumptious delicacies, courtesy of Simplicité owned by the lovely Kagome Higurashi and the ravishing Sango Tai, and enjoy the rest of your night" He finished and they both walked off the stage and everyone went back to what they were doing.

Kagome yanked her heels off her feet and was placing them in her closet when she heard a knock at her door. _Who would be here at this time?_ She peered through the looking hole and was surprised at what she saw. "What are you doing here?" she asked after ripping the door open and was slightly thrown off balance when he pushed through and entered her apartment. Rolling her eyes she closed the door and turned to face her intruder "Inuyasha, how'd you find my apartment?"

"Keh, you're not a hard person to find Kagome. Anyway I got information on your parents" he said as he quickly scanned her brightly colored apartment. It had a very 'homey' feeling, warm yellows, soothing oranges and bright reds. There were pictures on the walls and on the side tables and a plush rug in the center of her living room. He turned to face her and his breath was caught in his throat. Her hair was pulled out of its bun and her waves framed her face.

"Sit on the couch, do you want anything to drink?" she offered, now curious about what the hanyou had to say. Normally he would stand but at this point he'd do anything she asked of him. He sat down and shook his head no and she sat next in front of him on the glass coffee table with her legs crossed which resulted in her dress riding up, unaware to her.

Inuyasha tried his hardest to keep his eyes off of her smooth, sun kissed legs and, boy, was he starting to regret stopping by. _Shit I should've waited till tomorrow or something._

"So what did you discover?" her voice breaking him out of his trance "Well we found your biological parents addresses and phone numbers. They live just outside of Kyoto and they might know something about your little dilemma. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"Oh she's with my mother" and he nodded in response "Well I was passing by and noticed your car and decided to at least tell you the news. We can meet up tomorrow and I'll give you their files."

"So you knew of this while we were at the party and failed to mention it to me while we were there?"

"No, I was on my way to leave and my brother came and told me. He said it wasn't appropriate to speak business at a celebration. Keh, what does he know? Evidently you have a brother and sister that were also put up for adoption" and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are they older than me? Where do they live?"

He chuckled and leaned back into the couch and folded his arm behind his head and rested on it "They're both older then you. You're the youngest in your family, biologically speaking. Kino lives in Osaka and Midaru lives in Chiba." Her bright blue eyes sparkled learning this new set of information. _I have more siblings? I wish I could've grown up with them like I did with Souta. I wonder what they're personalities are like, are they mean or nice? Do they know about me? Do they have a relationship with my biological parents?_

"How old are they?" "26, they're twins." and she gaped. "What the hell? They gave them up for adoption just to get pregnant again and give me away too?! The world isn't populated enough? 'Why don't we just fuck around and hand our children away. No biggie!'" Kagome said in frustration now pacing the room and Inuyasha watched her intently.

"Kami, there's so much going on. What am I supposed to do? I've done everything right in my life. I went to school, got straight A's, and graduated college with a master's and a 3.8 GPA. I opened my own restaurant, I work like a dog, I follow the rules and I don't break laws. What have I done for kami to curse me this way?"

Kagome was starting to break down and Inuyasha was starting to panic. He walked up to her and gathered her in his arms and stroked her hair and she let it all out and bawled on to his Armani suit but he didn't seem to mind. Kagome's body shook as she let her frustrations escape her and she clutched onto him and buried her face into his chest. "Inuyasha, what am I supposed to do?" she hiccupped looking into his amber pools, feeling slightly relieved.

He looked down at the beauty in his arms and sighed sympathetically "I don't really know. Do you really want to meet your family?" and she nodded hesitantly. "Do you want to give her back?" and she was at a loss for words. _I want her to be safe and healthy and happy. I know that I can do that, it won't be easy but I have help. I can't do it on my own. Maybe Souta was right. Two is better than one._

"I would need help" she replied shyly and started to let go of him and his grip lessened. "Your mom's helping isn't she?" he asked curiously and he noticed her blush and start looking anywhere but at him

"Well, yeah but my brother did mention that if I take her as my daughter she would need a father figure" he raised an eyebrow "I'm guessing your boyfriend will take on that role then huh? Keh, figures" and he crossed his arms and looked away from her and she glanced at him curiously.

"Well that's the issue, I don't have a boyfriend" he stared at her, dumbfounded. _How can someone as HOT as Kagome not have a boyfriend? This has to be some kind of joke. Maybe she's an undercover lunatic or something. __**Oh get real Inuyasha, an undercover lunatic? This girl doesn't even look like she can open a jar of pickles let alone drive a grown man away. **__Keh, you'll be surprised. Women are crazy. __**True.**_

Kagome watched him intently as he had his mini internal battle. _Huh? I just told him I don't have a boyfriend and he has nothing to say?_

"Keh" _That's it? Ugh…he can be so infuriating._

They stood in an awkward silence for a little while and Inuyasha decided to speak up "The hospital is pretty unpredictable. I get called in at all hours of the day and the night and I don't come home for days at a time sometimes" and he let his sentence hang in the air.

Kagome cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously, before she got to ask him what he meant by that he continued slowly pacing and scratching his head, deep in thought.

"I know we haven't known each other of that long and we're basically strangers but our best friends are now dating and I'm pretty sure that I'll be seeing a lot more of you in the future. This is a cute little town to live in, your home is nice, spacious but homey and I think she would do great living in this environment"

"What are you getting at Inuyasha?" Kagome asked now filled with anticipation and quickly losing her patience.

"I can move to a place nearby, I need a change of scenery, the city is too crowded and all the different smells give me a headache" she continued to look at him still curious as to what he was getting at and he threw his arms up in annoyance "It means I'll help you with her"

She screamed and launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Completely caught off guard he stumbled a bit and chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and smiled as he nuzzled her hair, taking in her captivating scent. _You have a lot riding on this Inuyasha, you better pray to kami that you're not making a mistake by helping this chick, I hope you know what you're doing. _


End file.
